Telecommunications test instruments perform a variety of functions, including resistance measurement, checking the continuity or discontinuity of a circuit, and monitoring the status of a telephone line. Telecommunications test instruments called toners are available to generate tones which are helpful in locating buried wires or in locating a particular pair of wires within a large bundle of wires. A second instrument, called a probe, utilizes an inductive pick-up head to locate the wires carrying the tone generated by the toner. It is possible to combine some of the above mentioned functions into a single instrument, but it has not been possible to combine the probe and toner into a single, portable, battery powered instrument that contains the other functions typically found in telecommunications test instruments.
It will, therefore, be appreciated that there is a significant need for a handheld, battery powered telecommunications test instrument that can combine the functions of an inductive probe and a tone generator as well as other functions.